Chapter 26: The Aftermath of an All-Nighter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: The Aftermath of an All-Nighter
As soon as I returned to the castle, I asked Perel for the roster of the knights.
Since I had decided to put my heart into this, I planned to write the name cards for the knights myself. Even if the packaging was the same, receiving a gift with one’s own name on it would surely feel different.
‘If I call them by name when I hand over the gifts, it’ll be even more memorable, right?’
In hindsight, it was a reckless endeavor. Writing the name cards took significantly longer than I had anticipated.
‘I forgot that there are no printers here.’
I thought I could finish the names in an hour, but I made so many spelling errors that I had to scrap dozens of cards.
Furthermore, after finally finishing all ninety-nine cards, a second problem arose when I tried to apply a light coating of fragrant oil to give them a subtle scent. Even after the oil dried, the greasy stains wouldn't disappear, ruining the cards entirely.
– “Usually, one wraps the cards in a cloth soaked in fragrant oil to let the scent seep in.”
Reta, who had come to bring me water, offered this advice belatedly after seeing the mountain of cards piled on the table. By then, I had already wasted dozens more.
By the time I finally finished the second set of ninety-nine cards, dawn was already breaking.
I managed to catch only a few winks of sleep before spending the entire morning getting dressed. The handkerchiefs arrived just as I was finishing my preparations.
While I left the packaging to the servants, I insisted on tying the ribbons—the finishing touch of the gifts—myself. After tying ninety-nine ribbons, even my wrists began to ache.
‘Between the transcription yesterday, the grooming, and the ribbon-tying… it would be stranger if I weren't sleepy after doing such long hours of manual labor with this frail body.’
To make matters worse, the book I was currently reading was incredibly dull.
Since this was a world where etiquette dictated even how one held a fork, I thought it best to properly learn dining and banquet manners. I assumed the basics were already ingrained in Annette’s muscle memory, but I wanted to skim through just in case…
「Place the large fork, large knife, small fork, small knife, dessert fork, and dessert knife in order to the right of the setting, followed by the soup spoon, dessert spoon, and teaspoon…」
The ancient book, which looked decades old, was filled with an endless list of meaningless information.
My eyelids grew heavy, and an irresistible wave of drowsiness washed over me.
*
Loik finally finished his work and looked up.
The only sound in the quiet office was the crackling of the logs in the fireplace. He had intentionally blocked his line of sight with a stack of documents to avoid paying attention to the Grand Duchess.
‘Why is it so quiet?’
Surely she should have tried to strike up a conversation once or twice by now. Feeling curious, he stood up and saw the Grand Duchess slumped over the gueridon, fast asleep on top of her book.
“Grand Duchess.”
As he approached the sofa cautiously, he saw the small, pale woman sleeping like a picture. Her delicate shoulders rose and fell slightly with every soft breath she took.
“Go sleep in your room.”
Despite speaking to wake her, Loik found himself lowering his voice to a whisper. For some reason, he didn't want to see a frown mar that lovely face.
As a result, the Grand Duchess didn't react at all, seemingly dead to the world.
After a moment's hesitation, Loik placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. The moment his hand touched her, the fatigue he had accumulated all day seemed to melt away into her warmth.
‘This feels good.’
Loik gazed down at Annette’s sleeping face. Her cream-colored hair was softly disarrayed over her flushed cheeks. Her red lips, which usually chattered away, were now gently closed. Her long, thin eyelashes fluttered occasionally.
He wanted to send her back to her room without waking her if possible…
‘Should I call someone?’
The moment he reflexively imagined calling a knight to carry her, his neck went stiff.
Let another man hold her?
He absolutely could not stand the thought. He couldn't tolerate anyone else even touching her, let alone carrying her.
‘Even I, her husband, hardly dare to touch her.’
But he couldn't just leave the Grand Duchess here all night. Besides, sleeping with her head on her arm like that would surely make her limbs go numb.
After hesitating for a long time, Loik finally leaned down.
He carefully slid his arms under her knees and waist and lifted her. Her limp body leaned into his chest as if she were embracing him.
Gasp.
Loik unintentionally held his breath. An electrifying thrill swept through his entire body, as if his dormant nerves were snapping awake. It was a sense of fulfillment incomparable to when they had merely held hands.
However, unlike the last time when he had felt only a peaceful sense of comfort, the sensation now was incredibly intense.
‘Was it always this stimulating?’
It hadn't been this bad the first time he held her. Moreover, the small body that had settled into his arms without resistance was far too light.
Her ticklish breath brushed against his neck where their skin met, and he could hear the slow thrum of her heartbeat close to his own. For some reason, a heavy ache settled in his loins, and his chest felt tight.
Even though no one was watching, Loik’s face flushed a deep red.
‘Is it because my mana is suddenly circulating?’
Taking a deep breath, he pulled her shivering body closer into his embrace to shield her from the cool air and carefully headed downstairs.
The Grand Duchess’s bedroom was filled with her scent. Standing slowly by the bedside, Loik hesitated for a moment, fighting a fierce internal resistance that didn't want to let her go.
The soft skin touching him was infinitely tender. Was it because he had never felt such a texture in his life? The heat kept rising to his face, making it difficult to endure.
How could a person’s body be this soft? Are all women like this?
‘Just a little longer like this…’
Loik clenched his teeth to suppress the desire to hold her closer.
‘Get a grip.’
After holding the Grand Duchess, who showed no signs of waking, for a long while, Loik finally laid her down carefully on the bed.
Mmm. At the sound of her small whimper, his jaw tightened.
Yesterday morning, he had stood in front of her closed door and waited for her for a long time—even though he was the one who had scared her off by telling her not to visit him at night.
‘I didn't mean she shouldn't come at all. Did I speak too harshly?’
Since he was unaccustomed to dealing with women, he had no way of knowing how softly he needed to speak to be appropriate. Considering how children used to burst into tears just by looking at his face, it was certain that his impression was fierce. Even the knights sometimes flinched at his hardened expression.
Even if he had tried to speak indirectly with such a face, it might have sounded like a threat to the Grand Duchess.
Still.
He had waited, hoping to have breakfast together. He had even peeked into the dining room, only to be told that the Grand Duchess had skipped breakfast entirely.
‘And she was the one who insisted I eat breakfast.’
He had even tucked his cravat into his pocket, thinking she might suddenly appear and offer to tie it for him. He had headed to his office early on purpose, but she didn't show up there either. Only the gueridon he had ordered to be placed next to the sofa sat there, lonely.
He couldn't focus on his work.
He must have been too harsh with the delicate lady from the capital. The image of her walking away in the darkness with slumped shoulders kept haunting him.
After fretting all morning, he had intentionally crossed through the garden when he went to inspect the watchtower with Perel.
Finally, he saw her.
In the middle of the garden, where the landscaping was ancient and only sparse, withered trees remained, the Grand Duchess stood blooming alone like spring in full flower.
At the sight of her face after only half a day, a sense of relief spread through him involuntarily.
He was considering calling out to her first when it happened.
– “Your Highness the Consort!”
That oblivious aide of his had beaten him to it, acting as if he were the husband.
Contrary to his internal turmoil, the Grand Duchess’s face looked the same as usual. No, she seemed even more affectionate when welcoming Perel than she usually was with him.
Of course, she wouldn't be kind only to him.
– “100 Recipes for a Wife Loved by Her Husband…”
But what could he do? Loik reminded himself that, regardless, he was the one bound to the Grand Duchess as her husband, not anyone else.
– “The sensation of the ring Sir Perel placed on my finger is still vivid, you know?”
Even if it was that bastard who had placed the ring on her hand.
‘I should have gone to the wedding myself.’
Whether their marriage lasted a week or a year, Loik should have attended the ceremony. He should have been the one to slide the ring onto that pale finger…
Stupid fool.
From now on, whenever the Grand Duchess thought of her wedding for the rest of her life, she would think of Perel instead of him.
‘Does it even matter when we’ll be strangers in a year?’
He didn't know. But at the very least, he didn't want the memory she took with her when she left Blenheim to be a wedding with a proxy.
Watching the Grand Duchess take care of the knights one by one had made him feel strange. He was displeased by the way those dark, hulking fellows couldn't take their eyes off her, but he didn't dislike the feeling of someone looking after his people.
‘I have no idea what I want.’
Loik was letting out a deep, low groan when it happened.
A maid entering the bedroom spotted him and flinched, her shoulders hunching in surprise.